This invention relates generally to portable toilets and more particularly to a portable toilet which carries its own power supply for operating the flush assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,383 illustrates a portable toilet of the particular type to which this invention relates. It is conventional practice when flusing portable toilets of this type to utilize manually operable pumps of the bellows type for pumping flush water from a water storage tank in the toilet into the toilet bowl. Pumps of the bellows type are illustrated in prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,570,018 and 3,949,430, all of said prior patents being assigned to the assignee of this application.
Pumps of the bellows type are low cost items which allow water conservation to be observed and have proved to be satisfactory for the needs of portable toilet users. However, there is a need for improved power operated flush assemblies in portable toilets in order to provide for improved flushing of the toilet and also to provide for more efficient use of the flush water supply and enable the use of portable toilets by handicapped or elderly persons that do not have the strength or other physical ability to operate a bellows pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,337 also assigned to the assignee of this application, shows a portable toilet with an electrically operated flush apparatus but the flush apparatus illustrated in this patent requires an external source of power and involves a continuous flush which has limitations from an efficiency standpoint.
It is the object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved portable toilet with a battery operated flush assembly.